Western Norway Film Commission

Backed by NOK 10 000 500 from Norwegian Film Institute, development money from Nordic Film & TV fund, and additional equity funding from Film Fund FUZZ, the NOK 17.9 million production is set to begin this summer.

First-time director Thomas Cappelen Malling penned the script based on his best-selling cult novel titled Ninjateknikk II - usynlighet i strid 1978 (released 2004 on Oktober Publishing). The anarchistic and highly original story centers on commander Arne Treholt and how his ninja troops saved Norway during the cold war. Says producer Eric Vogel to Iron Sky: "We are telling the real story about what went on during the cold war in Norway. We can promise Ninjas, royal butt-kicking, shadow governments and power struggle for Norwegian oil."

The story will play out during the time right before the arrest of Arne Treholt, and shows us that our newer history went far differently than most people think. Arne Treholt, an actual person, and former head of information at the Norwegian Foreign Ministry and Norwegian ambassador to the UN, was arrested in 1984 and sentenced to 20 years in prison for spying for the Soviet Union. The Cold War spy, who was pardoned in 1992, has approved the project and given the film his blessings.

Tordenfilm's past credits include The Bothersome Man directed by Jens Lien, Uno directed by Aksel Hennie (both produced by Jørgen Storm Rosenberg), and Sons - directed by Bergen based director Erik Richter Strand.

Also in the pipeline from the prolific company is futuristic animation feature Metropia, a minority co-production with Sweden and Denmark, which is set for cinematic release in November 2009, written by Fredrik Edin and directed by Tarik Saleh. Finally, the six-part drama series Koselig Med Peis / Norwegian Cozy created by Thomas Seeberg Torjussen is currently in post production and set for a debut on public channel NRK1 in 2010.

Norwegian Ninja (Nytt Norsk Håp) is a Wreck-a-Movie project, and you can follow the production at www.wreckamovie.com. Wreck-a-Movie is an online collaborative film community from Star Wreck Studios Ltd.